Classical

Before he made his name as an operatic reformer with radically stripped-down works like "Orfeo ed Euridice," Gluck was an established - and highly skilled - purveyor of old-fashioned opera seria. "Ezio," which dates from 1750, is proof that he could write florid vocal showpieces with the best of them. The music is not easily distinguishable in either character or artistic quality from comparable works by Handel or Vivaldi, and the libretto by Metastasio was one that had served many composers before. Conductor Alan Curtis, whose labors on behalf of Baroque opera in recent decades have been indispensable, leads a fine, fiery performance here, full of dramatic flourish and emotional delicacy, and he has at least two first-rate singers at his disposal. Contralto Sonia Prima, who just wound up a stellar appearance in Handel's "Xerxes" at San Francisco Opera, gives a dashing, vocally assured performance in the title role, and countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic, as the Emperor Valentianino, is even more astonishing, singing with clarity, vigor and flexibility. The rest of the cast, unfortunately, is less impressive, leaving a listener often looking forward to the contributions of the two stars. Still, the overall effect is mostly splendid.